Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
1st out of 12 books
—
16 voters
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture
Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously succ...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 11th 2004
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2003)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,180)
Jul 23, 2007
Dan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Doom, computer programmers, consumate gamers, dreamers of all sorts
The true story of John Carmack and John Romero and how they created Id software and became the most prolific computer game designers in the 1990s.
The story describes how two misfit geeks were able to follow their passion of games and through hard work were able to make impressive advances in game technology and get rich at it as well. It also shows the ravages of arrogance on business and how letting ego come into play can destroy friendships and companies.
The story uses an extended metaphor for...more
The story describes how two misfit geeks were able to follow their passion of games and through hard work were able to make impressive advances in game technology and get rich at it as well. It also shows the ravages of arrogance on business and how letting ego come into play can destroy friendships and companies.
The story uses an extended metaphor for...more
First off, Wil Wheaton, one of the nerd gods narrates Masters Of Doom by David Kushner, so I just had to have it and listen to it. I also figured that Masters Of Doom would be a welcome change of pace – as it’s non-fiction about video gaming. I went in hoping for something a bit similar in tone and geekery as Ready Player One, which actually was kind of a false expectation, yet in all honesty that is exactly why I put this audiobook on my Audible app. Also, I totally used to have Doom but was aw...more
2 likes · like · see review
view all 4 comments
This book tells the story of John Carmack, John Romero, and id Software. It does a great job describing the early times, both in terms of relaying the facts, as well as giving a great feel of the excitement of discovery and invention, of pushing computers and gaming through incredible leaps to do things that most people thought just were not possible.
The two Johns sound like one of those cliched partnerships between two brilliant, and somehow vastly different yet ultimately compatible geniuses t...more
The two Johns sound like one of those cliched partnerships between two brilliant, and somehow vastly different yet ultimately compatible geniuses t...more
I'm long finished with my video game playing days [Atari 2600 & Coleco-vision were beloved items from my teens] and have never even played the first-person shooter Doom, but I still found this look at that game's creators and their journey to the top of the video game heap in the 1990s fascinating. The two Johns--Romero and Carmack--not only sold a lot of games, their games were at the forefront of the violence in video games debate in a post-Columbine world. While the graphics seem dated no...more
Brash young upstart geniuses take advantage of emerging technology to invent a genre of entertainment that would go on to be bigger than Hollywood.
Big-budget games in the last ten years have predominantly been first-person shooters, the style of game invented by id with Wolfenstein, Doom, and perfected with Quake. It would be hard to even catalog all the traits modern games take from id's works: first-person perspective, network play, the weapon assortment (pistol, shotgun, machine gun, rocket l...more
Big-budget games in the last ten years have predominantly been first-person shooters, the style of game invented by id with Wolfenstein, Doom, and perfected with Quake. It would be hard to even catalog all the traits modern games take from id's works: first-person perspective, network play, the weapon assortment (pistol, shotgun, machine gun, rocket l...more
1 like · like · see review
Just how was it possible that Doom, a computer game about mutated humans, gore, and a Big Fucking Gun, would define the pop culture of the 1990s? Enter stage David Kushner's Masters of Doom, a book that fictionalizes the true story of the Two Johns (the tight, algorithm-oriented Carmack and the loose, game design-oriented Romero) on the road to richness, fame, and ultimate collapse. What's so interesting about this? Five ninth the (typical?) American story, with the outcasts getting the one-up a...more
Ce livre raconte - principalement - les vies et oeuvres de John Carmack et John Romero, c'est à dire, pour les ignares en jeux-vidéos, les créateurs de Doom, un jeu très important dans l'évolution vidéo-ludique.
On part de leur enfance, pour s'arrêter à l'époque de Quake et Daikatana.
Le livre est centré sur les deux John, mais quelques autres personnes importantes sont présentées : Tom Hall, Adrian Carmack..
Le ton biographique n'est ni exagérément flatteuse, ni destructrice pour les deux Johns :...more
On part de leur enfance, pour s'arrêter à l'époque de Quake et Daikatana.
Le livre est centré sur les deux John, mais quelques autres personnes importantes sont présentées : Tom Hall, Adrian Carmack..
Le ton biographique n'est ni exagérément flatteuse, ni destructrice pour les deux Johns :...more
Focusing on the rise and rise and sunsequent falls at ID Software, this wonderful book offers an insight into the game that changed the computer games industry and the people behind the meteoric shift in technology and marketing.
I can still recall the first time I played Castle Wolfenstein and then, subsequently Doom and no other game has ever had me on the edge of my seat like Doom did (and will hopefully do again, later this year).
I have played computer games all of my life, since the days of...more
I can still recall the first time I played Castle Wolfenstein and then, subsequently Doom and no other game has ever had me on the edge of my seat like Doom did (and will hopefully do again, later this year).
I have played computer games all of my life, since the days of...more
Kushner's book is on the rise, falling out, and aftermath of video game designers John Romero and John Carmack. He manages to spin a fairly compelling narrative out of hundreds of interviews, essays, and games, keeping things interesting with their personal anecdotes and idiosyncrasies. I'm a little surprised that he got personal interviews with Romero and Carmack, given his portrayal of them; Carmack comes across as almost callously emotionless at some times, and Romero appears to be fairly emo...more
This book tells the story of the two John's, Carmack and Romero, who founded id software and revolutionized the computer gaming industry. while the writing is not sparkling, the information content is fascinating. Carmack comes off as a one dimensional caricature, but this may actually be an accurate portrayal of a guy who can program graphics in is head. Romero is more of a loose cannon, brilliant and charismatic, but undisciplined in the extreme...eventually they fallout and they are never qui...more
If you'd have told me a month ago that one of my most enjoyable reading experiences of the past year was going to be a biography of the guys who made Doom, I'd have thought you were nuts. And yet, it is the case: Masters of Doom is absolutely fascinating, I couldn't put it down.
Masters of Doom follows John Carmack and John Romero independently at first, masterfully weaving their two separate stories about their childhoods and upbringing up until the moment the two actually meet. The book then in...more
Masters of Doom follows John Carmack and John Romero independently at first, masterfully weaving their two separate stories about their childhoods and upbringing up until the moment the two actually meet. The book then in...more
For anyone, like me, caught up in Doom, Quake and the beginnings of the internet age, such as it was, this was a great read. Two main characters, different, but both driven in their own ways and visions, formed the nucleus of the account. I found the dynamics of the business interesting largely because it doesn't matter if you're making games or cheese, the issues are still broadly the same. Make, market, sell. Your routes to market may be different, but get it to the market you increasingly hav...more
A must-read for fans of id games. I loved Doom and Quake growing up and this book put me back into the days of "game gods" and reminded me of just how bizarre this period in gaming history was - success meant expensive cars and ludicrous penthouse work spaces, broken promises and frustrated fans. I got a huge rush of nostalgia just reading about Computer Gaming World, Doom deathmatches, and Trent Reznor doing video game music. Kushner is an excellent games writer and he weaves the narrative of t...more
Centered around the creators of id Softare, the two legendary John's, Carmack and Romero. Very well researched; I found myself searching for (and finding!) videos and photographs of many of the insane events depicted in the book. But what's priceless are the chills down your spine when you've spent a few passive pages on some kids building a cool game, and then bump into the explosive revelation, put very casually, that their startup was called (id/Apogee/Activision/Eidos/whatever you've grown u...more
Well, founder being fired is not rare.
It’s well known that Steve Jobs was once fired by Apple…Here, Id Software, co-founder John Romero was fired later. Because Carmack thought Romero was not put much effort on his work, after initial success.
Initially Carmack and Romero cooperated perfectly, Carmack doing the engine, Romero responsible for peripheral tools like editor and game design. One Carmack’s engine make new break through, Romero can desing new game prototype according to new effect, and...more
It’s well known that Steve Jobs was once fired by Apple…Here, Id Software, co-founder John Romero was fired later. Because Carmack thought Romero was not put much effort on his work, after initial success.
Initially Carmack and Romero cooperated perfectly, Carmack doing the engine, Romero responsible for peripheral tools like editor and game design. One Carmack’s engine make new break through, Romero can desing new game prototype according to new effect, and...more
An okay book, but it has a few problems. The first is that the story of Id software and the two Johns is not yet done. The departure of Adrian Carmack from Id came well after the book, as well as Romero pretty much falling off the map, so it can't be faulted for that.
The basic story is pretty good, but I was disappointed in the shallowness of some of the reporting. For instance, it seemed that whenever Adrian Carmack was mentioned, he was unhappy with the art he was drawing and wanted to so some...more
The basic story is pretty good, but I was disappointed in the shallowness of some of the reporting. For instance, it seemed that whenever Adrian Carmack was mentioned, he was unhappy with the art he was drawing and wanted to so some...more
Okay, I'm kind of a gamer geek, but I really liked this book. I first read it about four years ago, then reread it a couple of years ago. Why? It was like visiting an old friend.
It is interesting to see how the two Johns began their programing lifestyles when they were kids, then how their paths crossed one another, culminating with them establishing themselves as the "Masters" of video game programing. Yet, with success, it also leads to conflict of egos and the eventual separating of ways, pro...more
It is interesting to see how the two Johns began their programing lifestyles when they were kids, then how their paths crossed one another, culminating with them establishing themselves as the "Masters" of video game programing. Yet, with success, it also leads to conflict of egos and the eventual separating of ways, pro...more
It's always a bit fun watching nay sayers with the benefit of historical knowledge, especially in this case. In the mid 1980s, the personal computing industry had not been commodified and packaged neatly or attractively enough for the average consumer. Computers were still the toys of nerds and would not enjoy widespread market penetration for nearly a decade. Without that perspective it would indeed seem unwise to a parent of a video-game addicted teenage boy to endorse the hunkered-down obsess...more
Geeks like me and about my age already know some aspect of this story. I was always more a techie than a gamer, but I lost many nights/days/weeks to the Apogee games which start this story up until Doom. I can't imagine this story makes any sense to someone that isn't from that world, but if you are, and care to know more about how these games came to be and the people involved this is a worthwhile read.
"The Soul of a New Machine" by Kidder is the classic (original?) computer startup story, a f...more
"The Soul of a New Machine" by Kidder is the classic (original?) computer startup story, a f...more
I didn't even play that much Doom until I started tech school in the early 2000s but I recognized its importance early on.
Reading Masters of Doom provided a fantastic background on the history of the First Person Shooter genre as well as a detailed background on the road to modern gaming. Any programmer, gamer, or hobbyist game modder/designer can appreciate the journey through recent decades in gaming technology presented here.
I'm freshly inspired and motivated to get back into it myself, and...more
Reading Masters of Doom provided a fantastic background on the history of the First Person Shooter genre as well as a detailed background on the road to modern gaming. Any programmer, gamer, or hobbyist game modder/designer can appreciate the journey through recent decades in gaming technology presented here.
I'm freshly inspired and motivated to get back into it myself, and...more
A hell of a good read, especially if you grew up playing id games and/or have a background in computer programming. The story has all the elements of a great Greek tragedy: the unlikely rise to success of two heroes, and the tragic flaw in each of them that ruins it. I wonder how many stories there are like this throughout the history of the business: Romero and Carmack, Jobs and Wozniak, Zuckerberg and Saverin, etc. It seems like a pattern that repeats itself: two friends that together propel e...more
A truly awesome book. For a guy that grew up playing Commander Keen on the school 386, moving on the Doom on our first home computer which was, in turn, quickly followed by Quake, I immensely enjoyed reading about how they came to be.
While I'm sure Kushner takes some creative freedom with the story, he really brings it to life and makes the reader feel as if one were really there, all the way from the lake house where ID began until the bittersweet ending.
I really recommend this book, especially...more
While I'm sure Kushner takes some creative freedom with the story, he really brings it to life and makes the reader feel as if one were really there, all the way from the lake house where ID began until the bittersweet ending.
I really recommend this book, especially...more
I give this book a B.
For some, this might be a cursory overlook of the making of some of the first person shooter games done by ID. If you're a little more technical you might be disappointed by the lack of technical jargon and talk regarding the construction of the games.
The highlights of the book are the days in Shreveport, LA and also in Mesquite, TX.
The book was last updated about 8 years ago so might need another update on the developer's lives.
The book is only 300 pages long and can be rea...more
For some, this might be a cursory overlook of the making of some of the first person shooter games done by ID. If you're a little more technical you might be disappointed by the lack of technical jargon and talk regarding the construction of the games.
The highlights of the book are the days in Shreveport, LA and also in Mesquite, TX.
The book was last updated about 8 years ago so might need another update on the developer's lives.
The book is only 300 pages long and can be rea...more
Creative work requires ego.
The infamous two Johns had this, but through Kushner's Masters of Doom, we come to see that one chose to wear theirs smartly folded in their breast pocket, while the other wore theres as a cape, flinging it around like a peacock.
Through Masters of Doom, we're shown these egos on full display, as Kushner takes us within inches of the battles they waged side by side against the limits of technology and art and culture, and then ultimately against one another. No matter w...more
The infamous two Johns had this, but through Kushner's Masters of Doom, we come to see that one chose to wear theirs smartly folded in their breast pocket, while the other wore theres as a cape, flinging it around like a peacock.
Through Masters of Doom, we're shown these egos on full display, as Kushner takes us within inches of the battles they waged side by side against the limits of technology and art and culture, and then ultimately against one another. No matter w...more
Ever heard about Wolfenstein 3D? Or Doom? Then maybe Quake? I bet you did! id Software is the game development company standing behind this titles. Amazing life story is behind stylish cover of the book.
I was a little bit skeptic about the book though. Most of success stories are full of lust, ego, bragging and so on. Specially understanding that it is not autobiography of none of Two Johns or founders of id. This is not the case. The book is the result of incredibly deep research on the subject...more
I was a little bit skeptic about the book though. Most of success stories are full of lust, ego, bragging and so on. Specially understanding that it is not autobiography of none of Two Johns or founders of id. This is not the case. The book is the result of incredibly deep research on the subject...more
I love non-fiction books. Or rather, I love the idea of non-fiction books. I am always wildly interested in the topics they are written about but so very often they deliver the most drab and boring of writing and story that it takes me unthinkable amounts of time to read. *Cough cough Devil-in-the-White-City cough* This was not the case with Masters of Doom. I couldn't get enough. I made the mistake of starting it during exams and I never wanted to put it down to study. Such a wonderfully writte...more
Masters Of Doom cuenta la adicción de dos jóvenes, uno de Kansas y otro de Colorado, por los videojuegos, una adicción que los llevaría comprar Ferraris, mansiones en Tudor y sin duda a transformar para siempre la cara de la industria electrónica. Masters of Doom es, la historia de id Software.
Masters Of Doom es un viaje frenético de pizza, coca de dieta y arboles BSP aunque por supuesto los groupies nerd no pueden faltar. El enfoque principal del libro es la creación y transformación de la comp...more
Masters Of Doom es un viaje frenético de pizza, coca de dieta y arboles BSP aunque por supuesto los groupies nerd no pueden faltar. El enfoque principal del libro es la creación y transformación de la comp...more
2 likes · like · see review
I found this book greatly enjoyable as a member of the same generation of technology user that it chronicles - I remember those shareware releases. I was a CoSysOp on boards that distributed these fellows' software. I was broker than hell and poured way too much time (in lieu of money) scamming and reconfiguring my dogshit home setup for the sole purpose of consuming these guys' work.
Author has an unusually good eye for characters here - not quite a Stephen Levy level showing, but strong potenti...more
Author has an unusually good eye for characters here - not quite a Stephen Levy level showing, but strong potenti...more
So I used to play a lot of video games. You know, from about age ... 5 to maybe 20 or so.
I'm not proud of it, and I think it did a real number on my social skills (and weight, which has now been at a healthy level for about 7 years), but I still have lots of nostalgia for old games and still play with my friends and brother every now and then. I am proud to say I have not acquired a video game system since the Super Nintendo, and haven’t purchased more than a handful of computer games in the la...more
I'm not proud of it, and I think it did a real number on my social skills (and weight, which has now been at a healthy level for about 7 years), but I still have lots of nostalgia for old games and still play with my friends and brother every now and then. I am proud to say I have not acquired a video game system since the Super Nintendo, and haven’t purchased more than a handful of computer games in the la...more
I have to say first of all, what a fantastic choice of topic! It's amazing what an influence ID have had in computer games and beyond, and I was delighted to find a book like this had been written.
And very well written it is too. Kushner has researched his topic in incredible depth, as is made clear from the author's notes at the back of the book including how many people he interviewed. More than that he strings all the disparate details into a compelling story. Clearly the author is a fan of t...more
And very well written it is too. Kushner has researched his topic in incredible depth, as is made clear from the author's notes at the back of the book including how many people he interviewed. More than that he strings all the disparate details into a compelling story. Clearly the author is a fan of t...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
David Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author. He is a contributing editor of Wired, Rolling Stone, and Spectrum and is an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
More about David Kushner...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“All they needed was a title. Carmack had the idea. It was taken from The Color of Money, the 1986 Martin Scorsese film in which Tom Cruise played a brash young pool hustler. In one scene Cruise saunters into a billiards hall carrying his favorite pool cue in a stealth black case. “What you got in there?” another player asks.
Cruise smiles devilishly, because he knows what fate he is about to spring upon this player, just as, Carmack thought, id had once sprung upon Softdisk and as, with this next game, they might spring upon the world.
“In here?” Cruise replies, flipping open the case. “Doom.”
—
1 person liked it
Cruise smiles devilishly, because he knows what fate he is about to spring upon this player, just as, Carmack thought, id had once sprung upon Softdisk and as, with this next game, they might spring upon the world.
“In here?” Cruise replies, flipping open the case. “Doom.”
“If we can get this done, [Doom] is going to be the fucking coolest game that the planet Earth has ever fucking seen in its entire history!”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
